Range is not everything, of course, but it’s a huge deal for electric car sales, and very significant boost in range seems to result in a similarly significant boost in sales. So, how would a 225 mile 2019 Nissan LEAF compete with a Tesla Model 3?

Of course, we don’t know yet, but here are a few things to consider. The Tesla Model 3 will certainly benefit from a vast, well integrated, reliable, well designed network of superfast charging stations. Previous research we’ve conducted shows this is a critical requirement for many EV drivers in their next EV purchase, but there are also plenty of people who don’t need this and new EV drivers who don’t feel any need for public charging. It’s a significant advantage for Tesla, but Nissan’s fairly developed CHAdeMO network of fast chargers offers a lot of support for regional EV driving as well.

The Tesla brand seems to be the hottest corporate brand in the world these days. It reminds many of where Apple was around the launch of the first iPhone. No doubt, that strong brand recognition is a big reason why nearly 500,000 people put down reservations for the Tesla Model 3 far in advance of delivery.

However, hottest doesn’t necessarily mean biggest or deepest. Plenty of common people on the street couldn’t tell you what Tesla sells. (Plenty of Tesla owners can tell you stories of people asking what company makes their car, and then asking again — as if you didn’t understand — after you say “Tesla.”) But ask someone on the street what Nissan sells and you know they will be able to tell you. People will keep going to auto dealers and traditional car companies to buy cars. The question is, how many of them will be pulled to the Nissan LEAF once they find out how well the 2019 LEAF competes with gas cars?

Also, some LEAF specs* will be a bit lower than Model 3 specs (~6.5 seconds to 100 km/h rather than 5.6 seconds to 100 km/h; 100+ kW charging on a very limited superfast charging network vs 120+ kW charging on a widespread superfast charging network), potentially pushing buyers to the Model 3, but also potentially coming at a lower price.

Leaked Internal Nissan BEV Price Comparisons

The 2019 LEAF price* in the leaked documents shows as “TBD,” so we don’t really know yet if this longer-range LEAF will come in at the ~$30,000 price, ~$35,000*, or will be a higher-trim option in the range of the Tesla Model 3 price, but we can be pretty certain that a 225 mile LEAF with ProPILOT won’t be much different in price from a Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot. What other cars offer such range, electric driving benefits, semi-autonomous tech, and affordability? How many customers will understand the LEAF’s competitive advantages compared to the number that understand the Model 3’s? How much will Nissan put its strong advertising muscle and funding into LEAF marketing to help people learn?

Estimating 2019 LEAF sales seems quite challenging to me, especially without a price. I’m estimating 400,000–500,000 Model 3 deliveries in 2019. With that, the above points, and historical LEAF sales in mind, I’m going to optimistically estimate 200,000 LEAF sales in 2019. What percentage of Model 3 sales will be the Standard — not higher priced Long Range — Model 3, I have no clue. I do expect most 2019 LEAF sales will be the longer-range LEAF, but I again wouldn’t venture to put down a precise guess.

What’s your guess on Model 3 vs LEAF sales? Do you think Nissan’s established dealer network, product availability, and customer loyalty will win the day, or will Tesla continue to disrupt the industry and pull sales from Nissan? Let us know in the comments.

Details about the Porsche Mission E are beginning to emerge, thanks to Automobile magazine contributor Georg Kacher being invited to drive one of the few existing prototypes at Porsche’s Weissach test track recently. He reports that every Mission E will have all-wheel drive, at least at first. There is speculation that a rear-drive-only version may be offered at some point in the future.

Reportedly, the front motor will be the same in all versions — 160 kW at 16,000 rpm. Various rear motors will be used, depending on the performance level desired. A two-speed transmission that can handle full power shifts is undergoing development. An electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential is part of the rear-mounted power package as well. Porsche will use synchronous permanent magnet motors, which it says provide superior continuous performance in a smaller, lighter package.

Tesla has gotten a lot of favorable publicity from the spectacular acceleration available from its performance models. The Model S P100D — popularly known as a “plood” — with Ludicrous mode is the fastest mass-production car ever made. The Tesla is awesome off the line but its performance envelope is relatively short lived due to heating of the battery during maximum power operation.

The Mission E is not built solely to outgun the “plood” to 60 mph. Instead, it will gallop to that speed in about 3.5 seconds while offering repeatable, high-performance handling and spirited driving without overheating. Both battery cell chemistry and a complex battery cooling system are designed to let the Mission E handle high-speed driving on the Autobahn for an hour or more and still be capable of up to 300 miles of range. Top speed is 155 mph.

One thing that no one seems to know the definitive answer to is what the final production version of the car will look like. To date, all the media releases about the car show it with rear doors hinged at the back, making access to the rear seat extraordinarily easy. While retaining some styling cues from the iconic 911, the front end of the concept is a bold departure from traditional Porsche designs. On balance, the car most people have seen in photographs is dramatic in appearance, especially with all four doors open.

But Porsche has been road testing some other prototypes that are a disappointment compared to the concept. They have four doors mounted in conventional fashion and a front end that is much less emotional than the one shown on the concept car. Frankly, the test mules — if that is what they are — look like a Dodge Charger with the front clip from a Panamera bolted on.

If Porsche should have learned anything from Elon Musk and Tesla, it is that doors are a big deal. The Model X may be a great car, but one key thing that sets it apart from every other car on the road is its falcon-wing doors. Should Porsche wimp out on the doors (lots of manufacturers generate media attention with similar designs that never make it into production), it will be a buzzkill moment for the Mission E and turn it into just another electric sedan in an increasingly crowded market.

Inside, the Mission E has room for a driver and three passengers. It is smaller than a Panamera sedan but has almost as much interior room. “The production version is in essence a C-segment sedan with an almost D-size interior,” explains project leader Stefan Weckbach. “Visually, the car combines 911 overtones with fresh proportions and very good space utilization, even though the Mission E is notably more compact than the Panamera.”

One thing George Kacher noticed was that the Mission E he drove had a lap timer built in. “Why not?” says project engineer Michael Behr. “This car is smog-free but is also a hoot to drive thanks to the low center of gravity, the dedicated air suspension, and the precise steering. Make no mistake: This is a proper Porsche through and through.”

The first Mission E cars are scheduled to be available in 2019 and will be designated 2020 model year vehicles. Porsche is planning to build 20,000 a year but could bump that to 30,000 if the demand is strong. In my humble estimation, if the production car has the visual excitement of the concept, Porsche will need to build more cars. If it doesn’t, the company won’t. Your mileage may vary. See dealer for details.

Porsche Mission E | Gallery

When we first covered Genovation’s GXE electric Corvette project back in 2016, weI did so with a lot of reservations. Who could blame me? It cost a full three-quarters of a million dollars, promised more than 600 WHP, and would do a claimed, pie-in-the-sky, bats*** insane 205 MPH. Well, a year on and it looks like the finished product is ready. Except, now, it makes more than 800 HP, and will very likely do an IMRA-certified 220 MPH. No mean feat- and I can assure you from experience!

“Holy s***balls!” is right!

There’s almost nothing to criticize about the Genovation GXE Corvette, either. At least, on paper. The GXE will reportedly feature a 60-kWh battery pack good for 130 miles of driving between charges. The battery and motor(s) are arranged to give the electric Corvette a nearly perfect 50:50 weight distribution, too, so there should be no ill effects on the car’s handling, either.

As exciting as the prospect of an all-electric American super car are, it’s important to remember that no one has actually gotten one to play with, yet. So, until they’re in customer hands and performing as promised, I will reserve judgement. But I will say this: we’re just a few hours in, and 2018 is already looking like it’ll be a kicka** year!

All Electric Corvette | Genovation GXE

We often talk about the future of the automobile being electric, and news about companies like Tesla, Toyota, and Volvo contributing to that electric future is great. But, as we celebrate this New Year’s Eve and look forward to a new year and new steps forward, I’d like to take a minute to look back to the past. Specifically, the electric car past, which the Pope Waverly electric cars helped to build.

One of our sister sites, EV Obsession, covered an auction held at the famous Brooklands race track in England that saw a historic 1906 Pope-Waverly Victoria Phaeton (the one at the top of this post, actually) sell for £44,800. Not bad for a 100 year old car that was made by an Indiana bicycle company, is it!?

It’s not. Another thing that isn’t bad are all the wonderful variety of beautifully illustrated, classic ads for the Pope Waverly electric cars I ran across on Facebook and Pinterest today- I wasn’t even looking! A good omen for 2018 after a very tumultuous 2017, then. And, with that, I would like to present you with some of my favorite century-old EV ads as I wish you all a happy and safe New Year’s Eve. Enjoy!

Kinght Rider | Classic Intro

Even though I’m pretty sure I’ve totally f***ing nailed it with KITT’s memorable whoosh–whoosh–whoosh sound, I’d also be open to the actual Knight Rider theme playing from the bumper.

What about you guys? Do you think I’m on to something with the nostalgia angle, or do you think Mercedes’ plans to consult with middle-aged rockers is the way forward? Do you have your own ideas? Share them, in the comments- and have fun!

Original content from Gas 2 (except, you know, the Knight Rider intro).

“I can emphasize it is the project for 2018,” VW motorsport director Sven Smeets said, in a recent interview with Motorsport. “For the future, we have to do well, and prove the concept is working with an eye to the future in the electric world in motorsport.”

Volkswagen will be joining Honda, Mitsubishi, Rimac, and others in the growing electric class at the historic Hill Climb event. Despite the heavy-hitting nature of its competitors, however, VW wants to do more than show up. VW plans to win. “For us it’s clear when we enter as a works team [it will] always be with cars very closely linked to the product on the road,” Smeets explains. “So, if we can call it e-WRX, it would be one of the first series we could have a proper look at because it would fulfill those requirements.”

Surely, Subaru will have something to say about Smeets’ proposed use of the WRX name- but this is about a race car, not blatant copyright infringement. Here’s hoping VW releases more info. and photos of its Pike’s Peak competitor soon.

That’s right. A mere three years after giving up on battery electric vehicles to focus its attention on hybrids and hydrogen, Toyota seems to have done an about-face. USA Today is reporting that “Toyota could become Tesla’s next big headache” after a December 18th announcement from the Japanese automaker that it has plans to offer “an electrified option” for every one of its Toyota and Lexus models.

Sure, the fine print actually reads that “electrified options include all-electric, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell, or hybrid,” but this is from a company that, in 2015, had a head of R&D who said stuff like, “The cruising distance is so short for EVs, and the charging time is so long. At the current level of technology, somebody needs to invent a Nobel Prize-winning type battery.”

That was then, it seems. As for now, it looks like Toyota wants to be a little more “Tesla competitive” in the coming years. At least when it comes to PR, anyway.

When Elon Musk promised to launch “the silliest thing imaginable” into space on the first launch of Space X’ Falcon Heavy rocket back in April, nobody really took him seriously. When rumors surfaced that he’d be launching his personal Tesla Roadster into Mars orbit, even Musk laughed. When pictures surfaced on Reddit of the Midnight Cherry Tesla Roadster mounted on the Falcon’s payload pod last night, though, it signaled that things were about to get weird.

When the Going Gets Weird the Weird Turn Pro

This new Falcon Heavy next-gen rocket should be capable of lifting more than a 140,00 pound payload into low Earth orbit, or a 37,000 payload all the way to Mars. As such, the thing is more than capable of blasting the Tesla into Martian orbit … but, really!?

Ol’ Musky insists that it’s so …

Payload will be my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity. Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent.

… but I still don’t believe him. Of course, I have a long history of questioning Tesla’ motives. Despite being demonstrably wrong most of the time, though, I still can’t shake the feeling that this is all just a crazy PR stunt. Even if that’s all it is- I have to give Tesla that it’s an effective PR stunt, to be sure! What do you guys think? Do you think he’s actually going to do it? Do you think the car would make it to Mars? How would we know, anyway!? Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Tesla Model S owner Phil Hayton wanted his dogs to be able to travel in his electric luxo-cruiser with him, but didn’t want to drive around in an awkward, egg-y Model X. What Phil wanted was a wagon. A wagon that Tesla, sadly, doesn’t offer. What’s the well-heeled gentleman to do? Well, if you’re Phil Hayton, you have that Tesla Wagon built.

I have to admit, I thought this Tesla wagon build would die in Project Car Hell when I first heard about it, but it seems like I was wrong. Take a look for yourself, below …

… does it look real to you? Because it looks pretty real to me, and I have a history of calling bulls*** on everything, early!

For the moment, there is only the short clip, above, for us to go on. But that Qwest- the shop behind the build- did that much bodywork and got the car back up and running on Tesla’s network is no mean feat. As such, I’d fully expect this car to be shown running strong in the very near future.

The guys at EPower Racing are geniuses. They see things differently than you and I do. They see things, sure. They just see things better- which is why, when the guys at EPower happened upon a Kia Soul EV, a Tesla Model S P85D, and a tube frame Shelby Cobra race car, they built the fully electric, 400 HP, lime green ton of awesome you see here.

The tube-frame chassis is custom built to carry the Kia’s battery backs and Tesla motor. It’s no backyard hack, though- it was built by Doug Yip with a lot of heavy duty CAD work behind it and the helping hands of both EVTV’s Jack Rickard and Quaife Engineering.

There was a lot of engineering work put into this awesome electric car. You can get a sense of just how much, as well as see some behind the scenes build photos, in this EPower Racing YouTube video …

EPower Racing Electric Cobra | Video

… and check out some higher-resolution photos of the green electric Cobra below. I’ve also included a few words from the car’s builders, originally posted to the DIY Electric Car forum, at the end of the article for you to read, as well. Once you do that, let us know what you think of the build- and how you rate it next to, say, builds like that V8 powered Lotus Esprit from a few days ago– in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

EPower Racing Electric Cobra | Gallery

I’d like to present our Tesla powered Race Car project. The car utilizes a custom designed chassis, drivetrain from a Tesla P85, body from a classic 427 Cobra, and a battery pack from a Kia Soul EV.

I am a long time road racer (Sunbeam Tiger, Mustang GT1, Toyota MR2) in the PNW and have been wanting to build an electric race car for a while. However, up until now, the cost of doing this has been prohibitive. The availability of OEM EV components in the salvage yard has changed things.

This car is being collectively built by a group of friends who love the idea of doing something different. We have been working on the project for since December 2015, and are hoping to have the vehicle on track for testing this summer. We call ourselves “EPower Racing”

The motor is from a Model S P85 which is rated at 310 kW peak. However, we have no illusions that we will be able to run the motor at anything close to that for sustained periods due to overheating of the motor/inverter. We are putting in lots of extra cooling but only testing will tell if that helps. All reports we hear of from Tesla Track Days show Model S’s going into power limiting within a couple of laps. For longer events, we will probably limit the maximu power to the motor to prevent heat build-up. Although we will have regen capabilities, we will most likely not use it the same reason. (Regen would also upset the brake balance as well which would be undesirable for a race car).

We realized very early on that the massive available torque and an open differential without the benefit of Tesla’s traction control system was not a good combination. We worked closely with Jack Rickard/EVTV and Quaife Engineering to produce a custom torque biasing differential. These are now available from EVTV.

We chose the Kia Soul EV as the battery pack donor largely based on DOE test reports which showed it as one of the few OEM packs capable of putting out over 300kW for sustained length of time. It is also one of the lightest packs available. The 30 kw-hr pack (27 usable) only weighs 400 pounds. We purchase what was probably the first Kia Soul EV that was written off, and hauled it across North America! It was fully functional vehicle which allowed us to do some reverse engineering of the CAN bus. We are able to utilize the factory charger for both regular and ChaDeMo charging and obtain cell temperature and voltage data from the BMS. We will be limited in the duration of our runs due to the pack size, but we didn’t want to double up on the pack before we even had any real world test data.

The chassis was designed in Solidworks including FEA optimization. The chassis with roll cage weigh about 220 pounds. VR3 engineering took our CAD files and CNC cut and bent all the tubes.

The suspension utilizes C5 Corvette spindles and hubs to keep costs down. However, since we were designing both the frame and A-arms, we were able to dial in exactly the geometry we needed using our SusProg3D suspension analysis program.

Total design weight of the vehicle with driver is 1800 pounds which, even with a torque limited motor, should give us a very good power to weight ratio.

Electric Cobra Race Car | On Track Video

Originally spotted a few months ago while touring the streets of Switzerland, the guys at Amazon’s the Grand Tour decided to pit three different power train concepts against each other to see which one was truly fastest make some awesome TV.

In the yellow corner, a 740 HP, V12-engined Lamborghini Aventador represents the traditional fossil fuel power train. It’s a big engine that burns a lot of gasoline, in other words- and it’s as good a standard bearer as the dinosaur-juice crowd could reasonably ask for. Will it win?

In white, we have the all-electric Rimac Concept One. With a price tag of nearly one million dollars and more than 1000 HP on tap, the Croatian-built, all-electric Rimac promises its well-heeled owners a 0-60 sprint in less than three seconds and a top speed of over 220 MPH. More than enough to put on a show against the petrol-powered Lamborghini, in other words.

To argue that case, in the red corner, you’ll find the 573 HP Acura (Honda) NSX hybrid supercar. We’re big fans of the NSX here at Gas 2, and have been looking forward to seeing the car put through its paces by the likes of Clarkson, Hammond, and May. So- enough talk!

The Grand Tour | Aventador v. Rimac v. NSX

A joint study by the highly respected Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research finds that plug-in hybrid cars with at least 36 miles of electric only range (think Chevy Volt) are just as good at keeping carbon emissions out of the atmosphere as a pure battery electric car (think Chevy Bolt).

The debate rages among green car advocates, government regulators, and political leaders about whether a plug-in hybrid is a “real” electric car. The feeling in some quarters is that any car with a range extender gasoline engine is like wearing brown shoes with a tuxedo. You can go that route but it’s not quite right, is it?

The researchers gathered data about the performance of 49,000 battery electric cars and 73,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles in Germany and the US. The information came from fleet trials, auto manufacturers, and from website that allow drivers to manage and monitor their vehicles. The results of the study have been published by the journal Nature.

The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a new study that finds it is cheaper to drive an EV than a conventional car — about $770 a year cheaper, on average. Let’s begin by acknowledging that numbers can be interpreted in many interesting ways and those savings may or may not apply to you and the way you drive. But looking at American drivers as a whole and adjusting for regional variations in electricity costs and other factors, that’s the number the UCS says it is comfortable with. The study looked at electricity prices in 50 metropolitan areas in the US and researched what off-peak rate plans were available. It found that savings if a driver uses electricity instead of gasoline range from a low of $443 to a high of $1,077 a year. The difference between rates for electricity during peak periods and off peak periods ranged from $0.03 per kilowatt-hour to $0.21 per kilowatt-hour. You can investigate the city nearest to where you live by clicking on the link above. Tesla was impressed enough by the report to tweet about it to its millions of Twitter followers.

New @UCSUSA study shows that across the US, driving an electric car is not just cleaner, but costs less to drive than a gasoline car https://t.co/OAAO2H9CCM

“Dying is easy. Comedy is hard,” according to an old adage. Something else that’s hard is managing the supply chain needed to build an automobile, and that applies to an electric car just as much as it does a conventional one. Tesla is the latest to find that out, as it struggles to get production of its midsize Model 3 into high gear.

Volkswagen is committed to beginning production of its new I.D. sub-brand of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in late 2019, but in order for that process to go smoothly it needs to begin managing the supply chain for those vehicles now, 100 weeks before the assembly line for its new cars begins operations.

The electrified offerings from the world’s largest car maker will all be built on a new chassis architecture designated the MEB toolkit. Manufacturers go to great lengths to spread the costs of production across as many units as possible in order to increase their return on investment. The cars may look quite different on the outside, but underneath they share the same attachment points for suspension pieces and battery packs. Even such things as the size and location of ventilation ducts needs to be standardized.

According to a December 1 press release from Volkswagen, “The toolkit includes electric motors with different power ratings, flat batteries in the floorpan with innovative technologies and software features such as smart lighting and head-up displays with augmented reality which were previously only available on premium segment vehicles.”

Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, said, “Our preparations for entry to the new era of affordable e-mobility are well underway. In this unique industrial project, we intend to work together to ensure that Europe is ahead in the global race to the lead in e-mobility. Zwickau will therefore be developing into the largest European e-mobility center. This will enable us to write a new chapter in the history of the automobile.”

Diess adds, “We are determined to take the lead. The Volkswagen brand alone will be offering more than 20 all-electric models by 2022 and will be investing about €6 billion in e-mobility over the next five years.”

Ralf Brandstätter is head of procurement for Volkswagen. He tells the press his company is creating a new relationship with its suppliers, one which involves them from the very beginning of the design process and encourages them to actively participate in it. “To date, more than 100 suppliers have already been nominated within the framework of our electric offensive. What I find important is the fact that a new type of cooperation for our partners and Volkswagen begins today – we are involving top suppliers in development work on the I.D. project considerably more intensively and at a significantly earlier stage.”

Volkswagen expects to manufacture more than 100,000 new cars using the MEB platform by 2020. Christian Senger, who is in charge of e-mobility at Volkswagen, is optimistic that the goal will be met. “The new vehicle architecture, autonomous driving and the topics of networking and services will call for a working model involving close networking with all partners and suppliers. The plan for the product has been set out and we will now devote all our energy to implementing it together.”

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The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.